The Light Known As You REBOOTED
by WideEyedGiant
Summary: Hey, guess what, six years later and I'm giving it another shot.  In this story, Riku loves Sora, Sora loves Kairi, and OCs abound. It's just another cliche in a cliched world.


**Forward:** So, it's been a good many years since I wrote anything for TLKAY (said Tee El Kay for you trendy abbreviators.) I decided that I'd give the old story a nice little reboot, it's been ages since I wrote the crapsack sequel to Lexie's piece and I've gotten a decent bit better at writing. My old story is an eyesore but I'll leave it up just for shits and giggles... It gives an idea of how far I've come in my writing.

I kind of wish I could get in touch with Lexie, I wonder sometimes if she's even still alive... She dissappeared all those years back and I wonder often what happened to her. If you get a chance to read this Lexie, it's dedicated to you; if it hadn't had been for you, I probably wouldn't have gotten into writing KH related stuff and by proxy I wouldn't have gotten into Organization XIV; our KH2 spinoff with OCs. I met a lot of people through that, people who have helped me build my writing skills and who have encouraged me to where I'm at today... So in the end, I owe you a big thank-you, you too helped shaped me into who I am today.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own or claim to own rights or priveledges in relation to Kingdom Hearts, SquareEnix, Disney, or any other series/ideas/companies that appear in this story. This is purely a work of fan-based fantasy and should not be considered as a claim on my account of any ownership. Criticism is welcome, even flaming if you feel the need to do so. I personally don't give two shits about what you negative people have to say; I mean seriously, you're reading a Kingdom Hearts Fanfiction, who in the fuck do you think you are, some world renknowned author? Psh, yeah right.

Well, without further ado, here's part one of "The Light Known As You"

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><p>Two males, little more than boys, embraced one another after a long time away; one soaked in rain and shaking with chills, swamped with hesitation, the other a spiky chocolate haired boy who looked as though the weight of the world had just been stripped from his shoulders. "I remember you Sora, I do," Riku whispered with an aching in his voice that reflected the pain in his memories. Slumping his head down onto the brunette's shoulder, Riku let his silver hair fall in his face; his bandana gone, it was all he had to hide the shining golden eyes that burned behind the rain-soaked mane.<p>

Pulling his friend close, Sora nearly pulled Riku out of bed with his enthusiasm, his own body shaking with tears of joy. Everything had been turned on its head lately, it was like his past was torn out from under him, all the things he knew and loved had forgotten him, leaving him with a gaping hole in his heart that he desperately needed to fill… But here the road ended, the loneliness could subside now, abated in the arms of his childhood friend. "I'm so glad you remembered me," Sora choked, overwhelmed by emotions he had been bottling up, "I've been so frightened, Kairi doesn't remember you or anything that's been happening… She doesn't even remember our promise." _Images came flooding to Sora, the two of them standing at World's End as the hearts of worlds long gone began to reform into their planets, arms outstretched to one another over the growing expansion of space. "I'll come back for you," he promised, shouting over the now colossal gap between himself and Kairi. "I know you will," the red-haired princess returned, the warmth of her smile was the contract to their promise._

Riku visibly flinched at the mention of Kairi, only Misha recognized the reasoning behind it, though she kept her mouth shut… Be it beyond her to step into that triangle. The silver-haired boy hesitated for a moment before replying, his mind torn with emotional thoughts, _'Sora, I could never forget you… My memories could be torn from my heart, but my love would always bring you back…_' Sighing with melancholy but forcing a deadpan of reserve, Riku responded evasively to hide his heart, "Oh? I'm sorry Sora… That's too bad." Sora shook his head, his mop of chocolate hair flinging left and right with the motion, "It'll be alright Riku, now that you're here, we can go back home and make things right… We can figure things out." Biting his lip, Riku restrained himself from snapping at the boy, telling him he "didn't want to go back", that there were things that "He just couldn't tell Sora yet." Sighing, Riku dodged yet again, "I'm sorry Sora, I really am, but I'm exhausted. I really need some rest, we can discuss travel plans another time." Nodding slowly and releasing his friend from his death grip, Sora backed up from Riku and let him lay back slowly in bed. "I'll be in the living room if you need me," Sora promised with a hint of pain in his eyes; perhaps Riku was too evasive, he had stalled the brunette's hopes and become yet another obstacle on the road to happiness… He'd have to right that later.

After Misha hustled everyone out of the room she paused in the doorway, casting a motherly look back to Riku over her shoulder and then returning her eyes to the door. "You know Riku," she began as she closed the door for a moment to give them privacy, "Telling him might make him cry for a little bit, but holding it in will kill you for a lifetime." Her voice was rich with wisdom that came from a woman far beyond her years, she had been the one to coax Riku into staying with them, her gentle soul reminding him of Kairi in a way. "I know, but I can't bring myself to be one more thing on a list of wrongs in his world," Riku returned, his shaggy white hair beginning to dry now in a matted mass, "I can be happy watching him and Kairi from afar… It's my destiny in the end." Misha shook her head lightly at his resignation, "I wonder, when did you decide to let others choose your path for you? Can you really live like that?" Opening the door and stepping out quietly, Misha left Riku in the room with only the blankets and his thoughts. _"Can you really live like that,"_ her words echoed in his head.

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><p>Slowly and cautiously the sandman crept, claiming Riku as fatigue weakened him and the room slowly faded out of focus… Finding his eyes struggling to stay open, Riku finally relented and found himself in a world not unlike his own, but subject to the whims of his subconscious. He lay in the same bed as before, his blankets tossed about as if he had been thrashing from a nightmare. Sitting up slowly, the golden eyed youth scans the room momentarily while trying to remember where everything was… He needed to change his clothes before seeing Sora again. Slipping into a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt that clung to his lean body like static, Riku walked over to the window and pried it up, taking in the clean scent of fresh fallen rain. Stepping out carefully, he'd plant one foot cautiously on the fire-escape, the wet iron was slippery and he didn't feel like going for a long ride off of a short ledge.<p>

All around him the city was silent, as if time had halted since Sora had found him… His heart ached with the familiar melancholy that came with thinking about his unrequited love, reinforced by the natural air of drama about the city at night. Exhaling slowly and brushing the thought to the wayside, Riku began climbing the fire escape to the roof, his usual hideout where he could gather his thoughts… His hand slid along the wet railing, his mind registering just how cool the iron got and raising goosebumps on his arms. When he reached the top and stepped out onto the roof, he was greeted by the knowledge that he wasn't alone up here… No, someone had been up here before he arrived, a spiky haired boy sitting on the edge of the roof, silhouetted by the hazy city lights.

"Sora… What are you doing up here," Riku questioned with more surprise in his voice than he had intended. The aqua-eyed boy turned a head slightly and smiled at Riku, "Oh hey Riku, I just came up here for some peace and quiet… It reminds me of when we used to stare out at the ocean back on Destiny Islands. What brings you up here?" Riku would have walked over to the boy's side by now, setting himself down on the ledge with a low grunt, "I guess the same…" Riku tried his hardest to come up with something to say, anything at all, but his mind seemed stuck in a disorganized haze, clouded with anxiety. It must have shown on his face because Sora turned and gave him a reassuring smile, "Gee Riku, you look just as confused as I feel… I can't believe Kairi doesn't remember anything, you know?" The silver-haired boy sighed, drooping his head lower and looking down over the edge of the roof between his legs, the ground was a long way down. _'Are you going to make this any harder on me Sora,_' he pondered with a bit of animosity at the mention of Kairi.

Breaking the silence Riku was wrapping himself in, Sora spoke as he stood up, removing his jacket, "Aren't you cold Riku? You were just in bed, soaked to the bone… You shouldn't be out here in this weather." Feeling the jacket be draped over his shoulders, Riku reached up unintentionally and pulled the fabric closer around him, brushing Sora's hand slightly; whipping his head around as he realized the contact he had just made, he expected Sora to be looking at him with confusion, but all he was greeted by was the same warm and friendly smile Sora always wore… And that was far more horrifying than any expression that Sora could muster. "But yeah, Kairi doesn't remember anything… Not the heartless, not the keyblade, not even you, Riku," Sora carried on, oblivious to the silent war waged inside Riku's head. 'What does it even matter, You've got all you need here with me,' Riku allowed himself a selfish thought for a moment.

"Do you think," Sora said, still standing, "Do you think she's thinking about me right now?" Riku looked up from where he was sitting, Sora was looking towards the sky whispering something to himself, "One sky, one destiny…" Inside himself, the golden-eyed youth was waging a losing battle, restraining himself from spilling his heart; the words of his friend from earlier flooding back to him and threatening to destroy the dam he had built around his heart, **_'Can you really live like that?'_** Standing slowly, Riku turned towards Sora, his spiked chocolate hair being tossed messily about in the wind on the roof. "You're such a little kid sometimes Sora, you don't realize how much your words hurt others sometimes." Riku's words came without thought, thorns from a barbed heart, "You really don't understand anything about me or Kairi, do you?" Returning Riku's defensive scowl with a look of confusion, Sora responded with surprise, "What are you talking about Riku?" Riku waved an arm to the side as if trying to cut through Sora's confusion physically, "I'm talking about your obsession with Kairi… Kairi this, Kairi that! Why don't you try looking past Kairi sometime, there's a whole world out there!"

Riku's shout was followed by a long silence, only broken by Sora drooping his head and whimpering, "I still don't know what you mean Riku… I'm trying my best, but I just want to fix things for the three of us." Running a hand through his silver hair, Riku tilted his head back and looked down on Sora for a moment from beneath his hand, "It wasn't ever the three of us though… Those islands, they're so small, there's only room enough for two. Before Kairi came along it was you and I, but after that… You claimed it was the three of us, but it was just you and her. You've become spoiled, pulled away from those who really care about you." Sora stared back now in pain, fighting back tears of confusion and hurt that came from Riku's words; he couldn't make sense of what Riku was saying, "Who could care more about me than Kairi," he pleaded. "Me," replied Riku with a decisiveness and anger that came from a place in his heart he had kept locked away. The doors were open now, the doors to his heart; nothing could prolong his descent, nothing could keep him from speaking his heart now.

"I love you Sora," Riku nearly shouted at the boy, as if trying to verbally beat it into him, "I love you more than Kairi ever did, I always have! You replaced me with her though, she was everything I couldn't be… She wasn't wrong." Sora wanted to shake his head, to deny everything, but he was frozen in confusion as Riku advanced towards him. "I've always loved you, it's always been you and I… The whole time, don't you see? I searched the worlds over for you, for Kairi… I figured if I could reunite her heart and her body, then you could stop searching and we could all go home… Perhaps maybe we could even figure things out then, but now that's not enough… She's got her hands on you too tightly… There's nothing left for me in your heart anymore." By now, Riku was inches away from Sora, his golden eyes locked with the aqua of Sora's eyes, his breath hot on Sora's face. Shying away, Sora tried to turn his head but it was caught gently but firmly by Riku's hand, trapping him in his eyes. "There's nothing left for me in your heart, nothing… So my only option is to take it… To take it all," Riku finally broke.

What followed was nothing short of a nightmare for the Keyblade wielder, all the last strips of reason in his world were stripped away as Riku closed the distance, pressing his lips to Sora's and stealing a kiss from the boy. Riku was filled with a sense of victory and vindication, but it was quickly overwhelmed by horror; horror at his own actions that inadvertently broken the last bit of trust between the two friends… Backing up, Riku saw the horror reflected in Sora's eyes, the pain and confusion of betrayal that nothing could repair. "Riku… what did you do," questioned Sora, as if grasping at a reality that didn't exist anymore, desperation and fear in his eyes. "How could you," Sora continued, his face contorting into rage, his once warm aqua eyes now a fierce ocean holding within them a leviathan. "I'm so sorry, Sora," Riku pleaded, but now Sora was advancing on Riku, his hands clenched in fists of rage. Riku backed away slowly as he was pursued by the chocolate haired boy, feeling a strange sense of vertigo as his foot dangled over the ledge, notifying him that he was standing on the edge of the roof now. "No, Riku, you took it from me… the last bit of hope I had. You stole it from me, how dare you!" Sora's voice matched the anger in his eyes, feral in its youthful way, he very much resembled a wolf cub about to make its first kill. "Sora, I," was all Riku could get out before finding himself being shoved over the edge by a rough hand, falling towards the ground now at an incredible speed. All that happened that night flashing before his eyes in a terrible blinding light.

**And then he woke up.**

The alarm clock had yet to go off, but he jolted upright nonetheless, his body shaking and soaked with sweat… It was 2:00 AM and still dark out, Riku wanted to go up onto the roof and gather his thoughts but he decided it was a better idea not to… He'd just retire to bed again and fight for some sleep. It wouldn't come, but he'd try anyway.


End file.
